Soun watched worriedly as Akane started to regain consciousness. He was very much aware of his daughters temper, and she wouldn't forgive and forget. The prospect of entering a clan war against the Saotome and Fuin Schools of Martial Arts didn't sound good to him, but that would be the inevitable outcome if Akane did as she pleased. The only problem was, Akane was now, practically, the head of the Tendo Dojo. He had relegated all on his daughter's shoulders a little while after Ranma disappeared. *What a grave mistake that was.* He thought to himself. Akane, instead of maturing like he had hoped, had turned into an even more self centered arrogant person. Martial arts are mostly about discipline, from which Akane had almost none. But old Soun couldn't do a thing. In his heart he knew, deep inside, that if it came down to it, he wouldn't lift a finger against his offspring.
Ranma and Midori noticed Soun's expression and knew the man was completely lost in thought. That wasn't bad for them. What really concerned them was that Akane was starting to regain consciousness. Without further ado, they bowed to the Tendo father and left in a hurry. They could very well take care of trouble, but would prefer to avoid it if possible. Nodoka noted the way her son and soon to be daughter-in-law left the dojo. She frowned a little considering it unmanly of her son. A man should always face all challenges. Her frown disappeared when Akane woke up. "WHERE IS HE?" She yelled in uncontrolled rage. Nodoka berated herself for doing it again. She had judged her son. Even if that wasn't the reason why he left, she had promised to be the mother her baby needed. So deep in thought was she that she failed to follow the scene taking place.
The first thing that Akane noticed when she woke up was the pain all over her body. She felt worse than in a long time. Opening her eyes, she saw the roof of the dojo. A flood of memories followed this. Memories of what happened for her to end up here, defeated. Her expression turned into a berserk mask as she jumped to her feet, adrenaline completely erasing the soreness of her body. "WHERE IS HE?" She demanded of the people in the dojo. Her eyes turned everywhere, searching for the object of her anger. It had been a long time. A long time in which she accumulated all that went wrong in her life to release on that baka. Seeing he was nowhere to be found, she turned to Nabiki. Her older sister always had a way to find Ranma.
Nabiki saw the expected reaction in Akane take place. *Akane, Akane, Akane. You are so predictable.* If it werent for that, her little sister would have recognized the setup. Now, honor demanded that they leave Ranma alone. Not that Nabiki cared greatly about honor, but it was obvious her father would pressure them to let the Saotomes go. "You lost him, Akane." She said calmly. It was mostly to anger Akane even more. That could prove profitable.
Akane heard what her sister told her, and remembered what was at stake in the match. She fell back into her patterns of denial. "She cheated! I wasn't ready!"
Soun placed a hand on her shoulder. "You lost fairly, Akane. Ranma no longer has an obligation to marry you." It was hard for him to say those words aloud, but he had to. He was nervous about Akane's reaction, and with good reason.
Akane turned on Nodoka and Genma. "You knew about this." She accused pointing a finger at them. Her eyes narrowed when Genma nodded. "Why?"
Nodoka regained her senses with the question and answered. "It came to our attention how unhappy you both were. Ranma returned already in love, so we had to find a way to solve everything and save your honor."
Akane snorted. "Save my honor? I was defeated by that hussy!"
Soun sighed. "Defeat is a part of being a martial artist, Akane. You have to learn to take it in stride."
Akane's face flushed crimson in outrage. "How dare you say that? I'm a real martial artist, the best in Nerima. That bitch slighted my honor." She turned a hateful eye to the Saotomes. "As for that pervert, he'll wish he never returned."
Genma was a little intimidated by Akane's anger. He had seen how she pummeled his son with that giant mallet of hers and didn't want any part of it. As for Nodoka, her eyes narrowed at the threat. She knew Akane to be angry with her son, but this was stepping over the line. "What are you implying, Akane? Honor demands that you leave my son alone after you lost the challenge made by Midori Himeno."
The youngest Tendo frowned and stood straight. "Get out."
This startled Genma. "What?"
Akane didn't relent. "You heard me. Get out. The Saotomes are no longer welcomed in Tendo grounds."
Nodoka tightened the grip on her katana. "You do realize this is a severe insult."
The smile that met that statement startled Soun. "I don't care." Akane crossed her arms arrogantly and tapped her foot on the polished floor of the dojo. Her intent on waiting for the Saotomes to leave quite clear.
Nodoka and Genma looked at each other. They had not expected for things to go this far. In a deep recess of her mind, Nodoka was grateful for her son's departure. Akane wasn't thinking straight, wasn't thinking of the consequences of her actions. She sighed. *So much like her.* Without another word, Genma and Nodoka bowed to Soun, who returned the courtesy, and walked out of the dojo. They purposely ignored Akane and Nabiki on their way out.
As soon as they were left alone, Soun turned to Akane. She silenced him with a finger pointing to his face. "Don't bother. You should be grateful I haven't started a blood feud yet." She placed enough emphasis on the 'yet' part for Nabiki and Soun to understand she did intend to do it.
Soun's face paled. "Akane!" He said knowing full well the consequences of such a decision. Said young woman waved it off as she exited the dojo to take a good long soak in the furo. Soun helplessly stared at the door. Nabiki smirked. This was starting to get amusing.
------------------------------------
She was walking with a notorious stiffness. The battle hadn't been all that hard, the problem was the soreness of her body. Sure, the blows hurt and would bruise, but she had taken worse. "I can't believe she nailed me with that trick."
Ranma nodded. "It can't be helped. We are both used to fighting skilled opponents. We need to practice against such tactics." He smirked as he said. "Though I told you Akane was likely to get very strong. She simply had to train properly."
The redhead took his arm as they walked. "She's stronger than both of us, though with very little skill or speed."
Ranma sobered completely. "If Ryoga shows up be careful. He's a lot stronger than Akane."
Midori sticked her tongue at him. "You should take your own advice. He's more likely to attack you as soon as he finds out you're back."
Ranma smiled at the gesture. It still amazed him how she could bring a smile to his lips in the most somber of times. His thoughts returning to Ryoga, he couldn't help but feel anger well inside. The lost boy had caused him a lot of trouble, and he was willing to take no more. *It's time to settle things.* In fact, as soon as he returned to this plane of existence, his true love by his side, Ranma could think of nothing else but face anything that could destroy his happiness. That included, obviously, Ryoga. With this in mind, the pigtailed martial artist turned to the horizon, determination evident in his eyes.
SPLASH! Ranma Saotome, expert martial artist in the Saotome Anything Goes and Fuin styles, turned to the side to see the same old lady from years ago throwing water out the street. She sighed as she heard the giggling coming from the other side. Giggling that soon turned into a thunderous laughter as Midori tried hard not to fall to the ground with her mirth. Ranma herself couldn't help it, and soon started laughing as well. The old woman looked strangely at the pair of redheads that were laughing their heads off. They brought a smile to her lips, bringing back memories of when she herself was young and carefree. She shook her head, still a smile on her lips, and entered her house.
It took several minutes for the couple of redheads to regain enough of their composure to continue walking. Bright smiles on their faces, they walked hand in hand uncaring of what others might think.
"That's Furinkan High." Said Ranma after about half an hour of walking. She had decided to show her love the sights of Nerima. "There would usually be at least three or four fights everyday, all in which I was involved somehow." She said proudly.
Midori pouted, or tried to, and said. "I can't believe I didn't hear anything about you." She placed her arms around the neck of the other young woman. "I would have met you a lot earlier."
Ranma laughed as she thought of the way two redheads in a loving embrace must look like. "You would have been just another beaten rival." She stated matter of factly. Her reward was a kiss on the lips. The few students that were on the school grounds reacted badly to the scene. The girls shook their heads and turned away in disgust. The boys nearly cried at the sight of two cute redheads obviously being lesbians. It seemed like Ranma's legend had pretty much been forgotten in the school. Or at least the part of his curse.
Out of the crowd came a small figure, purposely walking towards the lovers. "That's not a very nice show you are giving, Saotome-san."
Ranma was startled as she recognized that voice. After turning to see its owner, she smiled again. "Hey, Hinako-sensei. What's up?"
The teacher, in her child form, crossed her arms over her chest disapprovingly. "Why are you being such a delinquent? You know what they deserve." And in saying so she reached into her pocket for a five yen coin.
Ranma and Midori parted, and the later said. "What's so wrong about a couple showing their affection for each other?"
Hinako was taken aback by the question, and so much more when Ranma continued. "Besides, we're getting married in the weekend." This statement had the effect of visibly startling everyone within earshot. Loud male cries of disbelief and pain echoed in the school grounds. Ranma shook her head. "I take it boys are still girl hungry around here." It was a matter of fact statement.
Hinako nodded, still shocked about the announcement. "May I ask what happened to the agreement for you to marry a Tendo?" Midori nodded and explained how she had challenged Akane for Ranma's hand. The teacher was surprised when Ranma didn't object to being put on the line of a fight. He had always hated being treated like a peace of meat. That could only mean one thing. "I take it you two are really in love then." Her childish features were illuminated with a smile. "How romantic!"
There was a massive facefault as hundreds of students had been eavesdropping. Many of them were shocked beyond belief because Hinako-sensei approved of a marriage between two females. A rumor about Hinako being a lesbian started to travel through the classrooms. All this happened within a few seconds.
Ranma and Midori had huge sweatdrops on their foreheads. Even Ranma, who had lived with this weirdness everyday for a couple of years, was starting to get nervous. "I think we should better go." She said, her eyes revealing her discomfort.
Hinako nodded. "I wish you both a very bright future." She said trying to take them into a group hug and failing because of her small arms. Midori and Ranma both smiled and walked away. Hinako sighed dreamily and headed back to her classroom.
A few blocks away Midori finally broke the silence. "And you used to go to 'that' school everyday?" She asked in amazement.
Ranma shrugged. "I don't remember it being like that. But then again, I've been gone for a long time."
Midori giggled. "That little girl was the chi-vampire?"
The pigtailed martial artist nodded. "That's was her alright. I'm still impressed she didn't drain us. We caused quite a ruckus with that kiss." Though her eyes betrayed her real emotions. She had enjoyed causing that type of reactions. It brought back memories.
And so it went for the rest of the morning. With Ranma showing Midori the sights and telling the stories that happened in each. Midori would have called her a liar, if it werent because she had come to know Ranma and knew he wasn't pulling her leg.
---------------------------------
Uchan's was cramped with people during the rush hour. Ukyo worked hard on the grill, providing the world's best okonomiyaki. With the business she conducted came the added benefit of hearing the latest gossip from the patrons. She was quite surprised to hear rumors of Ranma returning to Nerima. Of course it was no surprise for her since she had seen Ranma in the morning, but what really surprised her was the speed with which the rumors traveled. Not even 24 hours had passed since Ranma had returned and already everybody was talking about how a redheaded girl challenged Akane to a fight and won. How people found out about that was beyond her.
She served the last order and started cleaning the grill. Ukyo was a good judge of character, or at least she thought she was, and she could tell Ranma and Midori would do anything to be together. That sent a shiver down her spine. Ranma had killed a god to save Akane, even when his feelings for her weren't clear. What would the martial artist do for a woman he truly loved? She didn't know what Midori was capable of, but if the redheaded martial artist had fought alongside Ranma and he considered her his equal that could only mean she was. For Ranma to let a female fight instead of butting in as usual was hard. Ukyo smiled to herself. Maybe that was what he saw in her. A woman he could fully trust.
She was taken out of her reverie with a female voice coming from the counter. "Excuse me. Could we have two specials please?"
Ukyo shook herself out of dreamland and started right away. "Sure, sorry about that." She apologized sincerely. When she saw who had asked for the specials she grinned. "I heard things went well. Congratulations!"
Midori's smile grew wider. "Thanks, Ukyo."
The chef waved it off. "Call me Uchan, sugar. We might not know each other very well, but I can tell we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
Ranma, still in female form, crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "What happened to those specials? You're giving a poor service to your clients, Uchan."
Ukyo didn't take offense by the comment, she simply flicked her wrist. Before they knew it, Midori and Ranma had their meals served for them. "You were saying?"
Ranma smiled. "I see you've improved a lot. It will be fun sparring with you."
Ukyo blinked at that. She lifted her eyebrow as she saw Ranma and Midori had already finished. *He's improved as well.* She knew well enough the way Ranma ate, and this time he was even faster than before. "I thought you didn't fight girls."
Ranma smiled proudly. "I didn't say I would hit you. You can try if you like."
Midori elbowed him in the midsection. "You know you got past that not-hitting girls idea long ago, so don't act."
Ukyo looked all around the restaurant, and was pleased to see the rush hour had passed. She leaned on the counter and gave Midori an inquisitive look. "That's quite interesting. How did it happen?"
Midori giggled. "Ranma got his butt kicked by girls all the time until he understood we are just as capable of fighting as he is."
Ranma frowned. "Hey, that's not true. I let them win." A small smile spread on her lips. "All except one. She was a very good fighter."
Midori placed an arm around the shorter redhead's shoulders. "Flattery will get you nothing. Though it helps." They shared a quick kiss.
Ukyo shook her head. "How can you two be so shameless? You're both girls."
Both redheads smiled at her. "I don't care which gender Ranma is. It's still Ranma and we love each other."
Ranma smiled mischievously. "Though you seem to like it more when I'm a man. Mom didn't get much sleep and congratulated me this morning for being a man among men."
Ukyo was confused. "But why would she...?" She blushed as she thought of the implications of that one. Midori had the good sense of feeling embarrassed, though her hold on the smaller redhead tightened. The chef decided to change the subject after she regained control of herself. "What are your plans now?"
Midori thought for a moment and answered. "Well, after the wedding and our honeymoon, we are going to the outskirts of Tokyo. It's time for the Keisho Ritual."
"What's that?" Asked Ukyo with interest. She had never heard of such a thing. In fact, she had never heard of the Fuin until she met Midori.
Ranma shook her head. "Sorry, Uchan. We can't talk much about it besides the fact that it has to do with the Fuin School of Martial Arts. I shouldn't know about it either."
Midori smiled reassuringly. "My father already agreed, anata. And I'm not doing anything without you. We've been preparing for a long time, so don't start having second thoughts."
"Where are you going on your honeymoon?" Asked Ukyo when the silence became uncomfortable.
Ranma smiled. "Training trip to the forest." She and Midori seemed excited with the idea.
"I should have guessed." Said Ukyo rolling her eyes. How someone could be so obsessed with martial arts was still beyond her comprehension. Even in her ten years of training for revenge she wasn't 'that' dedicated. "Don't you guys ever do something besides martial arts?"
Ranma smiled and answered matter of factly. "There's also food and sleep."
Midori nodded. "It's the life we both have dreamt about since we remember. It's the only thing we know."
"Glad to see someone who can finally keep up with this jackass. I'm telling you, Midori. Your life with him is gonna be anything but boring." Ukyo said waving a finger in front of both redheads.
Ranma snorted. "We met each other in another world getting ready to fight a goddess of destruction. How can things get any more interesting than that?"
"Ranma has a gift for attracting trouble." Midori said nodding. "And I have a way of getting myself into trouble. It was natural for us to get together."
The rest of the conversation was pretty much the same. They talked for about another hour before Ranma and Midori gave their farewells and headed back to the Saotome house.
-------------------------------
When she heard the door open and close, she straightened and waited patiently for her son and soon to be daughter-in-law to enter the dining room. Genma and herself had returned directly from the Tendo Dojo, both with low spirits. They both had feelings for the Tendos, and the most probable fate between the two families was a clan war. Nodoka sighed deeply. *A clan war the Tendos have no way of winning.* She didn't like the idea of destroying the girls that almost married her son. Not one bit. But Akane had made it quite obvious to them.
She came back to reality as Ranma and Midori entered the room. "Hey, mom!" Greeted Ranma as she sat down. Midori sat next to her, not making any physical contact but complimenting the other's movements. They both recognized the seriousness of the situation from Nodoka's expression. Only one thing could have happened in so little time. "What did Akane do?" Asked a nervous Ranma.
Nodoka sighed. *Better to tell them all of it.* She eyed Ranma directly in the eye and started. "Akane didn't take her defeat very well. She got very angry as soon as she woke up and yelling atrocities against the both of you." Ranma's expression was unreadable, while Midori's was confused. Nodoka turned to her to explain. "Akane believes you cheated in the fight, so she doesn't admit defeat nor will she abide by the terms of the challenge."
"Did she say it?" Asked Ranma.
Nodoka shook her head. "Not literally, but it was quite obvious from her reaction. She went as far as to ban any Saotome from Tendo grounds." Midori's gaze hardened considerably, she couldn't believe that brat considered herself a martial artist with that kind of attitude. Ranma didn't seem surprised, more like he was expecting something like this to happen. He looked inquisitively at his mother. "Soun and Genma were the witnesses to the fight, and both testified in favor of Midori. That is enough to save family honor. But I would recommend being careful around Akane. She's bound to do something harsh."
Ranma wasn't really concerned about Akane. She may be a violent psycho, but she wasn't a real threat. He was more concerned about another. "How did Nabiki take the result?"
Nodoka looked at her son proudly. It seemed like the years had taught him skills he lacked in his youth. "Nabiki remained neutral during the match and after it. She's very good at hiding her emotions, though I can tell she had something planned for when you married Akane."
Midori had heard stories about the Tendos from Ranma. She had believed half of it, thinking Ranma tended to exaggerate about it. This first meeting with the family told her that if anything, Ranma had understated their characters. There was no doubt in her mind that Nabiki would try to get back at the both of them. She didn't seem the kind to let others get away with anything. "What are we gonna do?"
Ranma thought for a moment. "Nabiki will obviously try to contact Ryoga and the Kunos." She shook her head. "If only we had a couple of weeks to get back our full strength. We can handle Ryoga and Kuno, barely, but we don't know if Nabiki will get somebody else involved."
"Get back your full strength?" Asked Nodoka with a raised eyebrow.
Midori nodded while placing a comforting hand on Ranma's shoulder. She knew how hard it must be for her to face her friends. "We haven't recovered from the strain of getting out of Evil Zone. Our kay is too low right now to fight more than one strong opponent without doing some severe damage. We were expecting to build up enough for the Keisho Ritual during our honeymoon, and then fully recover in a couple of months. But with the possibility of fighting this week, we might be in trouble."
Ranma continued for Midori. "We are not helpless. But if we get into a serious fight, we can't take the luxury of beating our opponents without killing or maiming them. We could use the Forbidden Techniques and some others, since they consume very little chi, but they are meant to kill. It takes more power to overwhelm someone with little risk for their lives."
Genma had heard the conversation from the door. No one had noticed his standing there until he finally spoke. "What are the other killing techniques you talk about, Midori?"
The three women were startled by the voice, and turned different gazes at Genma. Nodoka's was disapproving, since her husband had been eavesdropping on them. Ranma's was neutral. Midori's was solemn, as she was talking about her school. "You both know the Fuin School of Martial Arts charges for classes to the public." Both Genma and Nodoka nodded. "That's just a cover for the real school. The Fuin Style is in truth a school of assassination. The other killing techniques I talked about are from either the school or Ranma's and my own creation. We are both undergoing the Keisho Ritual when we are married as the 28th heirs to the School. It is the first time in history to have more than one heir. Each heir introduces his or her own succession technique during the Ritual."
Ranma looked at her father seriously and said. "I decided to have the Saotome Anything Goes School of Martial Arts join the Fuin School of Martial Arts. Instead of having one heir to each one, both schools have two heirs. In fact we already fused the styles. I'm sorry for not consulting it with you, pop. We didn't know if we would ever return."
Genma nodded. "I have already seen the results of the fusion, boy. I can't help but feel angry about you ignoring my authority, but I can't deny the effectiveness of the new style, nor the obvious advantages to the union of the clans." He sounded as a respectable martial artist right now. If it wasn't for the fact that Nodoka and Ranma knew him they would be fooled by the performance. "Though there's one bigger problem than Nabiki and Akane."
"What is that?" Asked Nodoka, who had an unsettling suspicion forming in her mind.
Genma became somber. "The master. He forbids for any woman to learn Anything Goes and will not take lightly to the way you stepped over his authority."
"I couldn't care less about what that pervert has to say. He wanted me to be the heir of his school, so I will be. I'll challenge him for mastery over the Anything Goes if needed be."
Nodoka seemed to be very proud of her son showing her manliness. *Though it would help if she changed back to a man.* A part of her mind told her. Midori silently backed up her love.
Genma nodded. "It might be more difficult than you expect, Ranma. The master has seen and done many things, and has many tricks in the bag."
Ranma smiled. "We'll see."
After that Midori and Ranma went to the backyard to do some light sparring. Light sparring that would kill a normal human being. Genma entertained himself looking out to the sky. Nodoka continued with some unfinished chores. All in all, it was peaceful in the Saotome house. But that was about to change.
END PART 2
Author's notes: I know, I know. It's very short. Sorry about that. Couldn't think of anything else to add here unless I started on things I plan for Part 3. Also, more characters making their appearance and Nabiki's schemes start to get clearer. Two people known by Midori appear in Nerima for different reasons, and who's that gaijin wearing black leather and with a tattoo on his chest?
See you in part 3! |
